Modifies a noun

• babe: Well, my poor, dear wife, I, personally, feel sorry for you and the helpless little babes of our loins.

• sinner: Come just as thou art: come now, a helpless sinner to a mighty Savior.

• laughter: One of the few people capable of causing near asphyxiation in others by reason of helpless laughter.

• victim: People are not simply helpless victims of cultural change.

• sheep: Jesus warned them that they would be like helpless sheep exposed to prey.

• keeper: Slack marking from a 42nd minute corner resulted in Neil Jones having a free header, which he powered past helpless keeper Andy Mulliner.

Modifying Another Word

• utterly: His men, who, having left their guns in the canoe, were utterly helpless, quietly obeyed.

• totally: I can't tell you how totally helpless that makes me feel.

• completely: The person who is being hoisted is completely helpless, hanging like a trapped animal in a net.

Infinitive complement

• stop: However, due to my father's escape from Iran, I was helpless to stop the harassment.

• prevent: Dudek was helpless to prevent City taking an early lead.

Used with adjective complement

• feel: Everyone feels helpless, how do you fight the police?

• render: Your husband at once went to try and help others who were rendered helpless, and in so doing lost his own life.

• lie: Lying helpless beside the porch, Waking to see the deep garden.

• seem: They seemed very helpless in that pit of theirs.

• stand: The man standing helpless out of reach on the bank.

• sit: Knowing elsewhere the other boats are sailing, and we just sit there helpless.

Preposition: in

• face: Police were helpless in the face of the onslaught.

Preposition: with

• laughter: A minute later he was on his knees, helpless with laughter.